At his pre-match press conference, Thomas Tuchel didn’t appear to be worried about too many players missing Paris Saint-Germain’s match against Montpellier HSC on Saturday. The 19-man squad just released on the club’s official website though tells a different story.
We already knew that Marco Verratti and Ander Herrera would be out due to injury and that Idrissa Gueye was a concern, but there are several other regular starters who didn’t make the squad traveling to the Stade de la Mosson. Here is the full team available to Tuchel on Saturday:
Goalkeepers: Marcin Bulka, Keylor Navas, Sergio Rico
Defenders: Juan Bernat, Colin Dagba, Abdou Diallo, Presnel Kimpembe, Tanguy Kouassi, Thomas Meunier, Thiago Silva
Midfielders: Julian Draxler, Idrissa Gueye, Leandro Paredes
Strikers: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar Jr., Pablo Sarabia
OUT: Adil Aouchiche, Mitchel Bakker, Edinson Cavani, Ander Herrera, Garissone Innocent, Thilo Kehrer, Layvin Kurzawa, Marquinhos, Loïc Mbe Soh, Marco Verratti
Edinson Cavani is a surprising absence but he will miss the match due to an issue with his calf suffered in training on Friday. Marquinhos will not be in the squad due to personal reasons.
The news about Cavani is especially concerning. The Uruguayan has struggled to regain any resemblance of his former self and in the little playing time that he has been given, he has come up woefully short of expectations.
We hope the injury isn’t serious but at 33-years-old, Cavani’s body is starting to let him down. He’s already missed a significant amount of time due to a hip injury and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, this is the worst time to be in poor form as he’s hoping to impress potential suitors either during the January transfer window or next summer.
As you can see from the squad, Tuchel doesn’t have many options in the midfield. Those players who are in the squad, Gueye, Leandro Paredes, and Julian Draxler will likely be your starters in the middle of the park.
We’ll have more on this match as we get closer to kickoff so find us on Twitter @PSGTalk and follow along.
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